The present disclosure generally relates to subterranean formation operations and, more particularly, optimal surfactant design for recovered hydrocarbon enhancement.
The production of underground hydrocarbons often requires substantial investment in drilling and pumping equipment. When production is underway, up-front costs can be recouped provided that operating costs remain low enough for the sale of oil and/or gas to be profitable. During the production of hydrocarbons, relatively large quantities of water may be produced along with the hydrocarbons (also referred to herein simply as “oil”). In some formations, water and other by-products can amount to as much as eighty to ninety percent of the total production yield. The presence of water comingled with produced oil is a significant factor affecting the cost of many subterranean formation operations. Many profitable formations may become uneconomic because of excessive water production. Costs involved with pumping, separating, collecting, treating and/or disposing of water often have a devastating impact on profit margins, particularly for older wells with declining hydrocarbon production.
Separating the oil from the water in a produced fluid enables operators to recover pure or substantially pure oil and/or reuse, recondition, or otherwise process the water. Such separation may allow an operator to reduce transportation and disposal costs, to maintain the separated water in the formation or at the surface at a well site (e.g., at an offshore location), and the like. In some instances, produced water separated from produced oil may be suitable for agriculture, livestock, and/or wildlife use, potentially creating a means of beneficially recycling the separated water and/or a revenue stream.
Various methods have been employed for separating water from produced oil. For example, oil and water are typically pumped or otherwise flowed together to the surface where they are treated by heat to separate the oil from the water. The heat separates the denser water from the less-dense oil. In other instances, the oil and water may be separated using a hydroclone, which spins the produced fluid (e.g., the oil and water mixture returned from the subterranean formation) and use acceleration to separate the oil and water. These separation techniques may also be used in combination with downhole equipment (e.g., submersible pumps) to achieve separation of oil and water produced by a formation at a downhole location.